their family story with America on CNN. Ken Manford is co-chair
of Family Pride’s Board of Directors, an active member of OUTSpoken and an
inspiration to our staff and LGBTQ parented families across this
country.
The article highlights the decision of Ken and his partner, Jeffery
Roach, to adopt their son, Jackson, from Guatemala in 2001. It also
discusses the legal and prejudicial barriers that LGBTQ couples
face when starting families citing stats and laws from various
states.
According to the article and a 2006 Pew Research Center poll, in
the last seven years alone, support of gay and lesbian adoption has
increased from 38% to 46% in America. What does that mean for us?
It means that we’re making great headway, but there’s still a lot
of work to be done.
Research has also shown that when non-LGBTQ individuals know three
or more LGBTQ individuals personally, they are more likely to
support family equality. When Rosie O’Donnell came out, she
famously stated: “I don’t think American knows what a gay parent
looks like.”
Well, that is changing as LGBTQ parents like Ken and Jeffery step
up to the plate, come out and speak out, thereby educating their
communities about the discrimination families like theirs face. It
makes things personal and it changes hearts and minds.
I encourage you to check out the CNN
article and to watch the slideshow.